Women having fun adventures together along the Missouri creeks and rivers! Beginners and experienced paddlers welcome. Young women and old women welcome. Dogs welcome. We can help each other get boats on and off of vehicles, manage transport back and forth to our cars so as to cut out the middle man needed for solo floats, and watch out for one another on the water.

This group is more about nature, less about "partying." The intention is to enjoy the sounds and sites of nature and de-stress mindfully and gently. River safety, river knowledge, good environmental practices and zero-impact floating will be promoted.

About Safety and Responsibility

All members are responsible for their own safety and education about safety. This group may provide opportunities to learn about safety but it is up to each individual member to learn and follow safety guidelines. Links below may be helpful, though by posting them I'm not endorsing them or making any claims about them. If you have some videos you like, post them by replying to this post.

That said, here are my own personal Top Six Safety Measures: 1. Wear a life good jacket. 2. Bring plenty of water, high-energy snacks, and sunscreen. 3. Paddle sober. 4. Make a copy of your identifying info (ID, insurance, emergency contact), put this in a waterproof bag and take it with you on every float. 5. BEGINNERS: Before coming on a float take an intro class through the Alpine Shop, St. Louis Paddling Club, or REI. Often these are free. Also read through the "Safety and Technique Links" section below. There are great youtubes around that will show you basic paddling techniques and how to avoid or escape dangerous situations. It's your responsibility to do this. Please do this before coming on a float! 6. Wear a whistle!. Every floater must have a whistle on their person to use if they need help. They can be bought online or at REI or Alpine. Here are the three signals: http://www.rivergator.org/paddlers-guide/safety/whistle-signals.cfm

Beginners:

First time floaters will only be invited on Level I and II rivers, for safety reasons. First time floaters are REQUIRED to review ALL the safety and technique materials below or take one of the courses available locally.

We are always taking suggestions for floats! Of particular interest are women-friendly, non-creepy outfitters who rent boats and do shuttles. Some floats will be near, some floats will be far. Suggest what you'd like to do and we'll put it on the calendar (*organizer Margaret may not be able to attend all floats). Please reply to this post with your suggestions so we can find them easily.

A Note On Dues

Meetup charges $19.99 a month to keep this page up. That's why I'm charging dues, to defray the personal cost to me of managing this page. If we were to ever get enough of a reserve fund then we could use it for other things.